NATO Deputy Secretary General anticipates surge in Russian cyberattacks and disinformation amid EU elections

Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Geoană believes that it is important to be prepared for an escalation of Russian cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns in attempts to influence European elections and secure better political outcomes that are more favourable to Moscow.

Source: European Pravda, citing Digi24

Details: Geoană proposed "looking at what is happening in Moldova" to understand how Russian influence attempts might appear and noted that Russian disinformation and cyberattacks should be expected in attempts to influence European elections.

Quote: "I don't even want to think about what might happen in the presidential elections [in Romania – ed.] in attempts to obstruct the victory of pro-Western forces and bring someone more convenient to power," added Mircea Geoană, who himself is a representative of Romania.

Asked about whether there are political forces close to the Kremlin in the country, Geoană said he refrains from making value judgements.

At the same time, he stated that Russia "and others" will seek to support forces that are "not necessarily pro-Russian but anti-Western".

Geoană added that the surveys show 56% of Romanians believe there will be falsifications in the elections, which is also a worrying signal.

Background:

• The European Commission has called on major online platforms to take action ahead of the European Parliament elections to counter the spread of false information and coordinated bot network activities.
• French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he had no doubts that Russia would attempt to target the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

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